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Epiphany/The Plague
The Plague, also known as The Infection or The Virus, is a fictional extra-terrestrial disease presented in Epiphany. Similar to the Rage Virus in the film series 28 Days Later, it is differentiated from a typical zombie as it puts its victims into a state of extreme and uncontrollable rage, without killing their bodies, so they are not technically "reanimated" - just infected. It has shown the ability to infect through airborne and bloodborne circumstances, but its exact nature is currently unknown. History Origin A space meteorite crashed onto the frozen landscape of the Antarctic, where a science team was conducting behavioral research on penguins. The first known victim of the plague was Campbell, a videographer, who got too close to the meteorite. It cracked open and sprayed him with a hot gas that started to melt away his skin. He was infected quickly, biting his girlfriend Charlotte and infecting her too. Campbell was disposed of by another scientist, Adrian, and he brought Charlotte back to the compound. Charlotte's body did not transform as quickly as Campbell's did, though she eventually fell to the same rage that Campbell succumbed to, tearing out a chunk of Adrian's neck with her bare teeth. Anthony Bolio was the only survivor of this attack, and was eventually rescued and brought to London. Release It is known that the scientists from London airlifted the meteorite out of the Arctic in hopes to study it, despite Anthony's pleas. The virus was released all around London, and in turn, spread throughout the rest of the planet as well. Infection The nature of the plague and its ability to infect is still mysterious. The initial infection spread through the air, but it also has the ability to spread through blood or saliva. This contributed to its quick and unpredictable outbreak all over the world. Typically, the host will fall into a feverous, fatigued, and eventually unconscious, state before turning, especially if they fall victim to a bite. It can take seconds, minutes, or days for a victim to fully succumb to the infection, showing symptoms like twitching or convulsing. It is theorized that it depends on the body's immune system as to how quickly or slowly they succumb to the plague's effects. Characteristics The plague causes internal damage, especially to the capillaries, causing victims to constantly bleed from the eyes and mouth, as well as causing them to vomit blood. The infected individual's eyes can change color, to a scarlet or yellow hue. The infected individual is put into a state of high and uncontrollable aggression, and they also lose basic communication or higher intelligence skills. They are, however, put into a heightened state of mobility and endurance, allowing them to run at their potential victims with vigor. They do still succumb to the effects of fatigue, however, and oftentimes can lumber slowly in a zombie-like state. They still need food to survive, and can starve to death. This leads to the next point: they can be killed by any means, because they are still technically human. Headshots are not required. Immunity Though Anthony Bolio stated that he has not seen any examples of someone surviving a bite wound without succumbing to the effects of the virus, Gwen Temple was bitten by an infected individual, felt the side-effects of the fever and fatigue, but did not succumb to its effects. It is unknown why this is, but it was revealed in "The Kids Aren't Alright" that she is a carrier of the virus and can transfer it to other people through the transfer of her bodily fluids. While giving CPR to an unconscious construction worker named Jarod Knapchuck, he started to convulse and suddenly showed signs of infection. Gwen kicked him off the platform as he attacked her, and he hit the ground, stories below, dead. Trivia *The Plague holds many similarities to the Rage Virus of ''28 Days Later ''that inspired it. However, its extra-terrestrial nature, ability to infect through airborne means, and many of the plague's individual characteristics differ from it considerably. *This page will be updated as the characters discover more about the plague they are up against. Category:Epiphany